The WAG war between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy last week came closer to a sensational – and potentially hugely damaging – High Court showdown.
In the latest stage of their libel battle – in which Rebekah is suing Coleen after being accused of leaking false stories about her private life to The Sun newspaper, which she strongly denies – Coleen’s team claimed a narrow victory after Rebekah’s application to have parts of Coleen’s “public interest” defence struck out was largely rejected.
Rebekah, 39, had asked for the alleged close relationship between her and journalists at The Sun to be removed, but Coleen, 35, was granted permission to argue her rival was a source for the “The Secret Wag” column – that revealed secrets about players’ private lives – but which Rebekah denies.
Following the latest hearing, a source close to Coleen said it felt like a victory for her, adding, “This is the equivalent of a 2-1 win in the semi-finals, without the agony of extra time or a penalty shoot-out.”
The row between the two WAGS has been ongoing since October 2019, when Coleen – who shares sons Kai, 11, Klay, eight, Kit, five, and Cass, three, with Wayne Rooney – was dubbed “WAGatha Christie” after revealing she’d launched a sting operation to discover who had been leaking stories about her.
She posted a Tweet claiming the culprit was in her former friend Rebekah’s camp – who shares Sofia, five, Finlay, three, and baby Olivia Grace with husband Jamie Vardy and has Megan, 13, and Taylor, nine, from a previous relationship – who strongly denies the allegation.
And with the case likely to head to trial, Coleen’s pal and former WAG Lizzie Cundy, 53, tells Closer that the knock-on effect of the row has torn friendships apart within their world.
Lizzie, who was married to former England footballer Jason Cundy for 20 years, says, “Coleen and Becky’s row has caused huge tensions within my circle of friends. I’ve had fallings out. I won’t name names but I’ve had rows with other WAGs. It has had a knock-on effect.”
Lizzie claims the drama has also impacted their husbands, Derby manager Wayne and Leicester City’s Jamie.
She continues, “There’s a lot of talk among football players. Wayne and Jamie get constant stick and so me people have been forced to take sides.
“Both husbands have had to show support to their wives, but I do know that there’ll be conversations like, ‘Is there no way this can be worked out?’ Because no one wants this.”
But with neither side showing sign of backing down, it seems a public showdown in the High Court is inevitable.
The losing side could be left with a multi-million-pound bill for costs due to the two-year legal dispute. In March, the High Court heard Rebekah’s overall legal budget had already reached £897,000, including up to £32,000 for an “Instagram expert”, while Coleen’s estimated costs were £402,000.
But Lizzie is sure that neither of them will surrender.
“This is the biggest legal fight we’ll see in the celebrity world,” she says. “I know them both, although I’m closer to Coleen. Both are very strong, determined, and want to fight for the truth. I don’t believe either will back down. They’re at loggerheads and it seems there’s only one way – court.
“In reality, that’s the worst outcome, because it is such a huge waste of money. A lot has changed since this began – we’re in a pandemic, lives have been lost, and I think it has changed people’s way of thinking.
“For that reason, I know they have both tried to mediate this, so it didn’t go to court. Coleen wouldn’t have started this if she didn’t feel she was right, but I don’t think in her heart she thought it would go this far.
“I know Rebekah desperately wants to prove her innocence, but huge amounts of money are being wasted. Does it matter in the grand scheme of things?”
In her initial reveal on social media, Coleen said someone within her inner circle who had been leaking stories about her family had “been a burden on my life for a few years now”.
She added, “For a few years, someone I trusted to follow me on my personal Instagram has been selling stories… There has been so much information given to them about me, my friends and my family.”
Check out: from Cheryl to Coleen Rooney - where are the 2006 WAGS now?
The UK Wags - where are they now? - slider
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1 of 9Victoria Beckham
One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.
2 of 9Coleen Rooney
Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.
3 of 9Cheryl
How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.
4 of 9Abbey Clancy
Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?
5 of 9Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.
6 of 9Elen Rivas
Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.
7 of 9Louise Owen
Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.
8 of 9Carly Zucker
Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.
9 of 9Alex Curran
Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.
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Lizzie claims that, before the scandal broke, Coleen’s family life was “in turmoil” because of leaked stories – but she adds that, ironically, more of her life will be laid bare for the public should the trial go ahead.
She explains, “Coleen is strong and principled, and this was affecting her family life, which is why she fought back. These stories were constant. It was affecting her family in every way.
“She’s a very protective wife and mother, so had to stop it. Her family life was in turmoil because of the stories. She knows what’s important in life – she’s a family girl, and doesn’t want the stress of this for them, but lots of things will be dragged out.
“I’m worried there’ll be character assassinations from both sides. The reputation for the one that loses will be tarnished, as a lot of mud will be thrown. I wish they’d find a resolution.”
Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.